1. Innovation Essentials from The Idea Factory
Marcus Weldon
President of Bell Labs & CTO of Nokia
Confidential

2. Innovation = Invention + Implementation
Source: Merriam-Webster Dictionary

3. Innovation scope is function of path and initial target market
Revolutionary Innovation
(current
market)
Evolutionary Innovation
(current
market)
Disruptive Innovation
(new
market)
Adapted from Clayton Christensen, Harvard Business School

4. But all innovation requires two operating systems
“Invention”
(Sub-scale, working, non-cost optimized proto-product)
Operating System 2
“Implementation”
(Scalable, quality, cost efficient production)
After John Kotter, Harvard Business School

5. VC-backed companies: Time to success is ~9 years
Years to exit
Scott Shane, Case Western Reserve University +
1-2 years Incubation/Seed investment

6. Industry-backed innovation: Time to success is ~9 years2 2 3
Years to revolution /disruption 7 7 5
Vectoring
DSL
Coherent Optical
MIMO, Small Cells
Bell Labs Analysis

7. Summary: Two similar models – with key differences
5-7 Years
2-3 Years
2 Years
Generalized Invention
7 Years
Singular Invention
Scale Platform Implementation
Scale Implementation(s)
New Market Creation
Expansion to Platform for Scale & Adjacent Markets
Current Market Expansion
Platform Extension into Adjacent Markets

8. Summary: Two similar models – with key differences
Ambitious, motivated innovators
Desire to change the world
Thinkers and ‘Doers’ required
Perseverance and adaptation essential
Desire to disrupt business models vs. technological models
Financial gain vs. STEM field ‘renown’
Singular focused execution vs. generalized solution ‘discovery’